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STS-122: The mission

Atlantis' trip to the station will deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus science lab module.

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STS-122: The programs

Managers from the shuttle, station and EVA programs discuss Atlantis' upcoming flight.

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STS-122: Spacewalks

Three spacewalks are planned during Atlantis' STS-122 assembly mission. Lead spacewalk officer Anna Jarvis previews the EVAs.

 Full briefing
 EVA 1 summary
 EVA 2 summary
 EVA 3 summary

The Atlantis crew

The astronauts of Atlantis' STS-122 mission meet the press in the traditional pre-flight news conference.

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Harmony's big move

The station's new Harmony module is detached from the Unity hub and moved to its permanent location on the Destiny lab.

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Delta 4-Heavy launch

The first operational Delta 4-Heavy rocket launches the final Defense Support Program missile warning satellite for the Air Force.

 Full coverage

Columbus readied

The European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory module moves to pad 39A and placed aboard shuttle Atlantis for launch.

 To pad | Installed

Station port moved

The station crew uses the robot arm to detach the main shuttle docking port and mount it to the new Harmony module Nov. 12.

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Atlantis rolls out

Space shuttle Atlantis rolls from the Vehicle Assembly Building to pad 39A for its December launch with the Columbus module.

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Atlantis goes vertical

Atlantis is hoisted upright and maneuvered into position for attachment to the external tank and boosters.

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Space station EVA

This Expedition 16 status briefing recaps the Nov. 9 spacewalk that prepared the station's shuttle docking port for relocation to the new Harmony module.

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Astronauts use boom to inspect Atlantis' heat shield
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION
Posted: February 8, 2008

The Atlantis astronauts spent the morning scrutinizing the shuttle's nose cap and wing leading edge panels in a now-standard post-Columbia inspection carried out the day after launch to look for any signs of ascent debris impact damage. The crew also broke out equipment and began readying the orbiter for docking with the international space station Saturday.

Space station commander Peggy Whitson, who celebrates her 48th birthday Saturday, told CBS News' "The Early Show" today she's looking forward to Atlantis' arrival and delivery of the European Space Agency's Columbus research module.

"My present is a new module that we're going to install on the station," she joked. "I'm really looking forward to it."

The shuttle heat shield inspection was conducted using a 50-foot extension on the end of Atlantis' robot arm that is equipped with laser scanners and high-resolution cameras. Maneuvering the OBSS back and forth along the wing leading edge panels, the astronauts collected data that will be analyzed by engineers on the ground as the flight progresses.

"The first few times that we have done (this) inspection it took much longer to do, so our robotics, flight controllers and procedure developers have trimmed off quite a bit of time to make this a much faster process for inspection on flight day two," astronaut Leland Melvin said in a NASA interview. "You get faster by optimizing the trajectory of the motion of the arm, so instead of scanning down one side and then coming back and scanning another side, you might be able to get multiple scans in one motion. So thatıs something that theyıve done, looked at how to optimize the trajectory so that you donıt have to make as many passes on the orbiter."

Melvin said it typically takes three crew members to carry out the inspection "so if someone gets a little tired or has to make a bathroom break or something we can all rotate out and get the job done."

Flight director Mike Sarafin will brief reporters on the progress of the mission at 3 p.m. A second briefing with Mission Management Team Chairman John Shannon is planned for 6 p.m., but may move earlier depending on how long it takes the team to complete its daily assessment.

Here is a timeline of today's activities (in EST and mission elapsed time):


EST........DD...HH...MM...EVENT

02/08/08
04:45 AM...00...14...00...Crew wakeup
06:30 AM...00...15...45...Shuttle robot arm (SRMS) powerup
06:45 AM...00...16...00...SRMS checkout
07:35 AM...00...16...50...Laptop computer setup (part 2)
07:45 AM...00...17...00...NC-2 rendezvous rocket firing
08:10 AM...00...17...25...Orbiter boom sensor system (OBSS) unberth
08:35 AM...00...17...50...Ergometer setup
09:05 AM...00...18...20...Spacesuit checkout preps
09:10 AM...00...18...25...OBSS starboard wing survey
09:35 AM...00...18...50...Spacesuit checkout
11:05 AM...00...20...20...Spacesuits prepped for transfer to station
11:05 AM...00...20...20...OBSS nose cap survey
12:05 PM...00...21...20...Crew meal
01:05 PM...00...22...20...Spacewalk transfer preps
01:05 PM...00...22...20...OBSS port wing survey
03:00 PM...01...00...15...Mission status briefing on NTV
03:05 PM...01...00...20...OBSS berthing
03:40 PM...01...00...55...OMS pod survey
03:50 PM...01...01...05...Laser data downlink
04:00 PM...01...01...15...Rendezvous tools checkout
04:30 PM...01...01...45...Centerline camera setup
05:00 PM...01...02...15...Orbiter docking system ring extension
05:25 PM...01...02...40...NC-3 rendezvous rocket firing
06:00 PM...01...06...00...Post-MMT briefing on NTV
08:45 PM...01...06...00...Crew sleep begins
09:00 PM...01...06...15...Daily video highlights reel on NTV

Spaceflight Now Plus
Additional coverage for subscribers:
VIDEO: FLIGHT DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS MOVIE PLAY | XL SIZE
VIDEO: NARRATED REVIEW OF ATLANTIS' LAUNCH PREPS PLAY | XL SIZE
VIDEO: NASA AND ESA POST-LAUNCH NEWS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: FULL LENGTH LAUNCH MOVIE! PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS BLASTS OFF WITH COLUMBUS PLAY
VIDEO: POLLS GIVE THE FINAL "GO" TO LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS ARRIVE AT LAUNCH PAD 39A PLAY
VIDEO: CREW DEPARTS QUARTERS FOR LAUNCH PAD PLAY
VIDEO: ASTRONAUTS DON THEIR SPACESUITS FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: RUSSIAN CARGO SHIP DOCKS TO STATION THIS MORNING PLAY
VIDEO: PAD GANTRY ROLLED BACK THE NIGHT BEFORE LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: COLUMBUS AND ATV OVERVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE PLAY
VIDEO: TUESDAY MORNING'S COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY'S CARGO SHIP UNDOCKING FROM STATION PLAY
VIDEO: ATLANTIS' PAYLOAD BAY DOORS CLOSED FOR FLIGHT PLAY
VIDEO: CREW RETURNS TO KENNEDY SPACE CENTER FOR LAUNCH PLAY
VIDEO: MONDAY MORNING'S COUNTDOWN STATUS BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: POST-FLIGHT READINESS REVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: STS-122 ASTRONAUT BIOGRAPHIES PLAY
VIDEO: NARRATED OVERVIEW OF ATLANTIS' MISSION PLAY
VIDEO: INSIGHTS INTO COLUMBUS SCIENCE LABORATORY PLAY
VIDEO: STS-122 MISSION OVERVIEW BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: BRIEFING ON THE SPACEWALKS PLAY
VIDEO: CREW'S PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH STEVE FRICK PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH ALAN POINDEXTER PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH LELAND MELVIN PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH REX WALHEIM PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH HANS SCHLEGEL PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH STANLEY LOVE PLAY
VIDEO: CREW INTERVIEW WITH LEOPOLD EYHARTS PLAY
MORE: STS-122 VIDEO COVERAGE
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